Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct.19 / Trend, A.Akhundov /
By late 2010, a detailed plan of the central part of Baku will be developed, Jahangir Gojayev, head of the Information and International Relations Department of the Azerbaijani State Committee for Architecture and Urban Planning said today.
"This plan covers a part of the city between Beshmertebe [in the area of Fizuli square] and the street N.Narimanov [former Sovietsky street], Gojayev said. "Baku State Design Institute should submit it by late of this year," he added.
According to Gojayev, works are underway in parallel on development of Greater Baku's conceptual plan. London and Madrid's experience will be used in its development.
"Development of Greater Baku's conceptual plan is expected to be completed by late 2011," Gojayev said.
He said the master plan of Baku will be developed later.
"Major works on the development of the master plan will be carried out by the Baku State Design Institute. Also specialists in certain directions will be involved on the World Bank's offer," Gojayev said.
The plan is called the Greater Baku, as the former plan of the capital covered graphic principles and the conception of 22,000 hectares of the city, despite the fact that Baku's real area is more than 219,000 hectares.
The last major plan for Baku was adopted in 1987. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani government, through the Azerbaijani Committee on Architecture and Town Building and with loans from the World Bank, completed the project on drafting a regional development program for Greater Baku. The project includes the prospective development of Baku, Sumgayit and the Absheron region as a whole in the subsequent 20 years. Similar projects have been implemented in some countries of Eastern Europe. However, none of them covered the capital along with its suburbs, with a population of over 3 million people. The project will involve new technology, such as the use of a geographic information system.